Portrait of An Arrogant Master - Chapter 56

The chairman struck the gavel to calm the heated atmosphere.

“We will consult His Majesty on this matter and resume the discussion.”

Ultimately, the final decision rested with the Emperor. The nobles murmured among themselves, focusing on Rubens.

“So, Duke Rubens, it seems you’ve been collecting art lately. Is it to gain control over the cathedral’s construction?”

“Given that the value of art will inevitably increase, the Krygen family’s stature will rise accordingly. Won’t they have their sponsored artists participate in major events?”

“Indeed. We should make connections while we can…”

Marquis Naissen glared at Rubens, trembling with frustration. Rubens merely turned his gaze indifferently back out the window.

* * *

“What have you been thinking about all day?”

As the meeting ended and they walked out, Nicholas addressed Rubens.

“Nothing in particular.”

“Nothing in particular, you say? Do you know how many times I called your name?”

“Did you?”

Rubens responded calmly, pulling a cigar from his pocket and lighting it. Soft smoke curled from his sculpted lips.

‘Always so strikingly handsome.’

Rubens appeared noble from head to toe, exuding an air of aristocratic arrogance that didn’t need the introduction of the Krygen family’s estate. Yet, behind that elegant facade was a determination and meticulousness that even Nicholas, who had been by his side for years, had not seen.

‘He must have deceived people flawlessly all this time.’

If Nicholas hadn’t been told by Rubens himself, he would never have known that Rubens was a fake.

“Is it because your wedding has been postponed?”

“That’s not the case.”

Rubens chuckled dismissively, as if it were not worth worrying about.

“Then why was it postponed?”

The marriage between the Krygen family and Count Werfel family had been a promise since their predecessors. The delay had been to assess the variables introduced by the Name manifestation.

To preemptively block or address any attempt to expose Rubens’s true identity.

“The aftereffects of the Name manifestation have stabilized, and the person involved doesn’t seem like someone who would cause trouble.”

To Nicholas, Macy appeared to pose no threat. They had accepted each other’s identities while keeping their own concealed. Given that, Nicholas had expected Rubens to proceed with the wedding without an engagement, but instead, he chose an engagement ceremony.

Nicholas was puzzled by Rubens’s choice.

“Or is there another reason behind it? Concerning that person?”

“……”

Rubens, who had been responding sparsely, closed his mouth firmly when the conversation turned to Macy. Nicholas’s eyes narrowed.

“If you intend to keep the Name subject close in another way, please let me know. As I mentioned before, I am supportive.”

“You speak so nobly about making her a mistress.”

Rubens continued to smile, but his expression clearly showed deep contemplation.

Nicholas wasn’t surprised; he had expected this. It was evident from the moment he saw Macy that Rubens considered her special. Macy had pale-colored hair and olive-colored eyes.

To explain how Rubens recognized her, one would have to go back to his days studying at the Imperial Academy.

Back then, Rubens had an odd obsession with women with pale hair and olive eyes, regardless of their appearance. He would have s-x with them, often without showing the face, or he would insist on doing it from behind.

In any case, it meant that Rubens was aroused by that hair and eye color.

‘Though he had grown tired of this obsession and avoided such women for some time.’

Thus, Nicholas was astonished when he saw Macy.

It was as if Rubens had found the reason for his peculiar obsession. Despite his strange fixation, Rubens was now dealing with Macy in a way that seemed indifferent, as if she was not important to him, blocking her path and treating her as though she were insignificant.

“No matter how I think about it, it seems a waste. It would be great if she could participate in the Gadvich Cathedral project…”

“That’s already a closed matter, isn’t it?”

Nicholas had brought up the subject with a hint of possibility, only for Rubens to decisively cut it off.

“But the more I see, the more it seems like she has an extraordinary talent that should not be hidden…”

It would have been better if he had known from the beginning.

When Rubens first asked Nicholas for a favor, he didn’t know what kind of artist Macy was. He only requested that she be included in the event, just enough to make a living, promising to make up for it later.

He also asked not to place her in highly visible locations, both her and her paintings. He should have realized then that Macy’s talent was exceptional.